A mission was set up in September to develop the Strategic Plan to ensure the strategic guidance of Benin CWP activities during the period 2017-2021. The specific objectives relating to this mission are to provide Benin CWP with a Strategic Plan; give the WIN coalition a guidance document for the promotion of integrity in the water sector and sanitation in Benin. On 18 and 19 October 2016, a workshop was held in Ouidah, bringing together the internal and external stakeholders of the CWP Benin for the validation of the strategic priorities, objectives and results, and action planning.

On November 1 and 2, 2016, the 7th Hydropower for Today Forum held in Hangzhou, China. It was hosted by the Ministry of Water Resources of China (MWR) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and organized by the International Centre on Small Hydro Power (ICSHP).

The 6^th General meeting of the African Network of Basin Organisations took place from 20 – 22 September 2016 at Lemigo Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. The meeting took stock of the state of implementation of the resolutions and on the achievements of African network since the holding of the 2015 general meeting.

GWPSA’s technical team participated at the World Water Week in Stockholm from 28^th August – 2^nd September, 2016. Under the theme, Water for Sustainable Growth, the team participated in a number of sessions contributing to the solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today. Key sessions that they participated in included:

The Summer University of Samothraki 2016 took place on 9 - 22 July 2016 on the island of Samothraki in Greece. The summer university consisted of two parallel courses: Course A on “Aquatic and Social Ecology-Theory and Practice” and Course B on “Integrated Water and Coastal Management - Educational and Participatory Approaches”.

The 2016 GWP PANASIA Workshop was organized by GWP SEA and hosted by Singapore PUB in Singapore from July 14 to 15, 2016.

In the framework of strengthening partnership, established since 2007, between GWP-CAf and the University of Dschang, oriented towards providing technical support in the delivery of IWRM related courses at the university, GWP-CAf Staff offered course on Water and Socio-Economic Development, at the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, Ebolowa Campus, from 27^th -29^th of May 2016.

 

Since 2014, on the invitation of the School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources, GWP-CAf have been facilitating the delivery of the course on Water and Socio-Economic Development (LPEE 233) for 1^st year students of the School at the University of Dschang satellite campus in Ebolowa, South Region in Cameroon.

 

The School of Wood, Water and Natural Resources is part of the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences of the University of Dschang.

The University of Ljubljana hosted the first SANDANUBE workshop on 19-20 April in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Its goal was to define the parameters of a full scale project proposal on sustainable sanitation in Central and Eastern Europe.

Dr Jerome Delli Priscoli is the new Chair of the GWP Technical Committee. However, his history with the network goes back to 1996 at a meeting in Stockholm where GWP was conceived. “The work of GWP is born from a philosophy that is central to my own philosophy, which is a multi-stakeholder, participatory approach,” he says.

The Change Agenda was a big topic at this year’s GWP’s annual Regional Days, which took place in Stockholm 10-13 May. As the network is preparing the 3-year work programme (2017-19), discussions were held on how the network can stay relevant and continue as a frontrunner on global water issues in an ever-changing environment.